Pedestal-table-locking device.



PATEN'IED JULY 21, 1908;

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27. 1908.

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PATBNTED JULY-21, 1998.

` 0. s. BURTON. Y PEDESTAL TABLE LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION 18mm) 91911.27. 1998.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

CHARLES S. BURTON, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO EMIL TYDEN, OF HASTINGS,

MICHIGAN PEDESTAL-TABLE-LOCKING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 27, 1908.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Serial No. 412,704.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLEs S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pedestal-Table-Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof. A

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved form of pedestal locking device for a pedestal extension table, which, while avoiding the necessity of penetrating the center leg, shall avoid also the defect common in devices heretofore designed for this purpose having separate locking devices on opposite sides of the center leg-viz., that they do not always draw so as to close up'bth sides alike.

It consists in the features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings z-Figure 1 is a longitudi- V nal vertical section of a table embodying this invention showing the devicesin locked position. Fig. 2 is a similar view with portions of the table top not involved broken away showing the locking devices in engaged position but the table members not drawn together. Fig. 3 is a section at the line 3-3 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts of the locking devices in disengaged position preparatory to separating the pedestal members for extending the table. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modiiication. Fig. 6 is a section at the line 6 6 on Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section at the line 7 7 on Fig. 5.

The main feature of my invention is applicable to a great variety of pedestal locking devices heretofore known, as, for example, that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of Patent N o. 786,070, granted to Emil Tyden, March 28, 1905, and in Figs. l, 2, 3 and 4 it is shown applied to this type of locking device which comprises a vertically disposed lever, 11, in one pedestal member fulcrumed at its lower end and having pivoted to it a latching device, 2, provided with an upstanding trip iinger, 3, which encounters a trip stop, 4, mounted on the pedestal for causing the latching device to be rocked over its pivot on the lever, 1 1, so as to be lifted at its free end when the lever is rocked inward. The latch being dropped and also retracted when the lever is rocked outward, the operating means comprising a rod, 12, connected to the upper end of the lever, 11, and at its outer end to a hand lever, 13, fulcrumed under the table top and adapted to be swung about its fulcrum so as to carry the pivotal connection 12a, of the rod, 12, into locked position back of the fulcrum of the lever. In applying the present invention to this form of pedestallocking device, the latching device, 2, is forked, comprising two bars, 2a, 2a, extending at opposite sides of the center leg, 6, thus avoiding the necessity of penetrating the center leg as in said Patent N o. 786,070. For engaging the 4two bars of the `bifurcated latch device, there is provided ahorizontally positioned bar, 8, ful`cru1ned at its middle I point on the opposite pedestal member and extending normally substantially parallel to the parting plane of the two members, its ends being in position to be engaged respectively by the two bars of the divided latching device. This pivoted latch bar, 8, operates as an equalizer or evener of the drawing action of the two latches, so that if the pedestal members should come together sooner at one side than at the other, whether this should result from unequal shrinking or expansion of the pedestal or from inequality of the two latch members, or from any other inaccuracy of construction, the drawing ac-V tion for closing up the pedestal would not thereby be blocked but would be transmitted to the unclosed side until that was also closed. In order that the latch bar, 8, may not itself be out of position for receivingthe engagement of both the bars of the forked latch, there is preferably provided a flat spring, 9, slightly bowed and lodged back of the fulcrum of the latch bar with its ends resting upon the pedestal member, and the middle part bearing against the latch-bar back of its pivotal connection to the bar, 10. The spring need only be sufficiently stiff to normally position the latch bar and not materially interfere with the pivotal movement of the latch bar which may be necessary in the performance of its function as described. The same result may be accomplished in a manner involving the same mechanical principles by having the element of the latching rio devices which operates as an evener or equalizer of the draft constituting also the active instead of the passive element in the latching. Such modification is shown in Fig. 5, in which there is a vertically positioned lever, 11X, pivoted at its lower end on the pedestal member with capacity for sliding vertically, the pivot slot, 11"", being provided for that purpose in a plate attached to the pedestal member. On the lever, 11, there is mounted for horizontal oscillation with slight range, about a vertical axis, either with or about said lever, 11X, a latch bar, 15, and the two sides of the opposite pedestal member each carry a latching device consisting of a rigidly projecting hooked bar, 16, said latching devices extending past the parting plane of the two members so that when they are closed together they project into the opposite member, and their hooked ends come into position for engagement with the ends of the latch bar, 15, before the pedestal members are closed together, provided the lever, 11X, has been moved inward toward the said parting plane. The lever, 11X, is pivotally connected at its upper end with a lever-link, 12, which extends longitudinally of the table under the top toward one end, and at its outer end is pivoted at 12a to an operating lever, 13, fulcrumed on the under side of the table top and having a stop pin, 13a, which encounters the lever link, 12, on

'the under side when said lever, 13, is swung inward for thrusting the latch bar, 15, carried by the lever, 11X, toward the parting plane of the pedestal members for releasing the latching devices, and which upon such encounter and in the further inward swing of the lever, 13, lifts the lever link, 12, and thereby the leven-11X, to carry up the latch bar, 15, on said lever, 11X, out of engagement with the cooperating hook latches, 16, carried by the other pedestal member.

In order to cause the latch bar, 15, to stand normally in position substantially parallel to the parting plane so as to be readily engaged by both the rigid latches, 16, as the pedestal members approach each other, there may be secured to the latch bar a bow spring, 17, whose opposite ends bear against the inner surface of the pedestal, the spring being sufficiently yielding to accommodate the swinging movement of the lever, the ends of the springs sliding on the pedestal in the vertical movement of the lever. This spring, as in the case of the corresponding spring in the other construction, need only be of sufficient stiffness to normally position the latch bar and not materially interfere with the pivotal action of said latch bar in performing its function. Preferably, the lever, 18X, is provided with a spring, 18, which bears upward against the stop-pin, 13, so that said spring tends to swing the lever, 13X, upward after its pivotal connection to the lever-link, 12,

has been moved inward past the fulcrum of said lever, 13X; and this spring, therefore, tends to hold the lever-link, 12, and lever, 11X, at the elevated position indicated at which the latch bar is out of engagement with the latches. This prevents any collision of the latch bar, 15, and hooked bars, 16, in closing up the pedestal members, but

causes the latch bar to'be carried in past thel hook-noses before the pedestal members are quite closed together, so that upon operating the lever-link, 12, the ends of the bar iirst descend to position for engagement with the hooks, and being then retracted engage them for closing up the pedestal members with a capacity for equalizing the draft by the horizontal oscillation of the latch bar, 15, as described. In the absence of the spring, 18, which may be omitted, the parts are proportioned and positioned so that at the lowest position ofthe latch bar, 15, it is high enough to encounter the sloped noses of the hooked bars, 16, when the pedestal is being closed up. Such encounter causes no embarrassment, and the latch bar, as it rides up on said sloped noses, is lifted and lifts the connected vertically positioned lever bar, 11X.

lt will be evident that the latch bar, 15, may be attached to the lever, 11X, so as to turn the latter about a vertical axis instead of turning with respect to .that lever, said lever being in that case sufficiently free at its mountings and connections with the other parts to permit such movement within the range necessary for the equalizing action of the latch bar. In the structure shown in the drawings, these connections are sufficiently free for this purpose, so that in any given instance equalizing movement of the latch bar may occur, either at its mounting on the lever, which in that case may be pivotal, or by turning the lever itself about a vertical axis. The appearance of the parts being the same in either construction, the drawings may be understood either way,--that is, as representing the latch bar either fixedly or pivotally mounted on the lever, 11X.

1. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two pedestal members, cooperating latching devices on the two members respectively adapted to engage each other at two points at op osite sides of the center line of the pedestzil, one of said devices being mounted for horizontal oscillation intermediate such two points of engagement, and one of them being movable transverselyV to the arting plane, and means for so moving the atter.

2. 1n a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two pedestal members, cooperating latching devices on the two members respectively adapted to engage each other at two points at opposite sides of the vertical center line of the pedestal, one of said devices being mounted for horizontal oscillation intermediate such two points of engagement, and one being movable up and down and also transversely to the parting plane, and means for so moving the latter.

3. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two se arable pedestal members, cooperating devices on the two members respectively adapted to be engaged with each other, said device upon one or the members consisting of two bars which extend across the parting plane of the two members, the device of the other member comprising a latch bar pivotally mounted for horizontal oscillation about a vertical axis intermediate its ends, and means on one pedestal member for carrying the latching device on said member mounted for movement toward and from the parting plane of the two members.

4. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the separable pedestal members, latching devices for connecting and drawing together the members, comprising on one member two bars extending transversely of the parting plane of the two members at opposite sides of the vertical center line of the pedestal, and on the other member a latch ar pivotally mounted for horizontal oscillation about a vertical axis toward and from the parting plane of the pedestal members, having its arms extended in o posite direc- A tions from the axis of such oscil ation, adapted for engaging the transversely extending bars respectively; means on one pedestal member for carrying the latching device on said member, extending therefrom to one end of the pedestal for operating said parts, and operating connections therefrom.

5. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two pedestal members, cooperating latching devices on the two members respectively adapted to engage each other at two points on opposite sides of the vertical center line of the edestal, one of said devices being mounted or horizontal oscillation about a vertical axis toward and from the parting plane of the two members, and a lever which carries one of said devices fulcrumed at its lower end for movement toward and from said parting plane and means for operating such lever.

6. ln a pedestal extension table, in combination with the separable pedestal members, a vertically disposed bar mounted upon one member for movement toward and from the parting plane; coperating latching devices on the two pedestal members adapted to be engaged with each other at two points at opposite sides of the vertical center line'of the pedestal, one of said devices being pivotally mounted for horizontal oscillation about an axis between said two points, and one of them being carried by said vertically disposed bar, and means for moving the bar toward and from the parting plane.

7. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two pedestal members, cooperating latching devices on the two members respectively, adapted to be engaged with each other at two points at opposite sides of the vertical center line of the pedestal; a vertically disposed bar on which one of said devices is mounted for horizontal oscillation about a vertical axis situated between said two engaged points, and means for moving the bar toward and from the parting plane.

8. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two pedestal members, co-

bers respectively, adapted to be engaged with each other at two points at opposite sides of the vertical center line of the pedestal a vertically disposed bar on which one of said devices is mounted for horizontal oscillation about a vertical axis between said two engaged points, and means for moving the bar up and down and also toward and from the parting lane.

9. In a pedesta extension table, in combination with the two separable members of the pedestal, cooperating devices on the two pedestal members adapted to be engaged for drawing and holdin@ the members together; a vertically disposed bar upon which one of said members is carried, such bar being mounted for up-and-down movement and also for movement toward and from the parting plane; a lever-link connected with said bar at the up er end of the latter extending horizontal y therefrom under the table top, and an operating lever fulcrumed on the table and operatively connected with the outer end of the lever-link for giving the latter longitudinal movement, said iulcrumed lever having a stop which encounters the lever-link after giving it longitudinal movement inward, to cause said lever-linl and fulcrumed lever to rock as integral in the iurther movement of the lever about its fulcrum on the table for lifting the inner end oi' the lever-link and the vertically disposed bar.

10. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two separable members of the pedestal, cooperating devices on the two edestal members adapted to be engaged for rawing and holding the members together; a vertically disposed bar upon which one of said members is carried, such bar being mounted for upeanddown movement and also for movement toward and from the parting plane; a lever-link connected with said bar at the uper end of the latter'extending horizontal y therefrom under the table top, and an operating lever fulcrumed on the table and operatively connected with the outer end of the lever-link for giving the latter longitudinal movement, said fulcrumed lever having a stop which encounters the lever-link after giving it longitudinal movement inward, to cause said lever link and fulcrumed lever to rock as integral .operating latching devices on the two memin the further movement of the lever about my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 24th day of its fulcrum on the table for lifting the inner January, 1908.

end of the lever-link and the vertically dis- CHARLES S BURTON posed bar, and a spring operating on the 5 table-fulcrumed level` to reinforce its lifting Witnesses:

action on the lever link. M. GERTRUDE ADY,

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set J. S. ABBOTT. 

